The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1887-01-28

Figures Waste OF Wool Grease
Profits of Farming.
COMFORT FOR WORKING HORSES.
In recent lecture before the Penn
| sylvania state board of agriculture, DIR.
Harvey, among other good things, said
the following in regard to the above
named topic: The horse should be made
comfortable at his work. His harness
should fit without CALLING. His bride
should be long enough to bring the bit
down to the angle Of his lips-not so
short as to draw them up an inch or
two above their natural position, as is
so frequently the case. The blinds
should not touch his eyes, nor his eye
lids, either his head should not be
refined uncomfortably high. On long
journey, or in pulling heavy load. he
should not be refined up at all. He is
surer-footed when his head is free,
and, If he should stumble, he RECEIVERS
| better if he can throw his head down,
and thereby relieve his forelegs of
part of the weight of his body until they
| get in place again. 1t is the same prin-
ciple as is applied when men Jump and
throw a stone backward from each
hand at the same time. If a horses
neck is tired by tight refining, he is a
out having accomplished anything to
show for it We have all felt what it is
to be tired all over by the torture Of
tight shoes, and the relief that comes to
the whole body with a pair of slippers.
He should always have a free head when
travelling in the night He needs then
the free use of all his faculties. Do not
understand me as meaning that the
| check-rein should never be used at ALL
1t has several uses A horse can be
more easily managed, If he is disposed
to be little too lively, by checking his
head up. Horses naturally carry their
| heads up when excited, and refining
them up into that position excites them.
A dull horse may for short time be
made much more lively by checking his
head up little while he is going. This
effect will not continue long, but for
short drive about town with light
weight behind him there is not much
objection to it if the horse is fresh.
When horse is checked up while go
ing he should be unchecked while stand
ing, that he may rest The check-rein
1 onOulo w CdblJ 6uOkbChCo dhu 1OuRLu-
ened, so that his neck may be relieved
without giving him entire control of his
head while standing, for he might rub
his bride off or get his foot over the
lines if he should put his head low
down.
BURNT CLAY FOR sURFACING ROADS
1t is not generally known that crude
clay-the purer the clay the better
when burned forms an excellent mater
ial for metaling or surfacing roads
where broken stone may not be had.
Yet such is the fact 1t has long been
so used in England. In the west this
material is coming into rather extensive
use for metaling railway beds The
Chicago. Burlington & Quincy, Hanni-
bal G St Joseph, Chicago, St Paul.
Minneapolis & Omaha, and the Union
Pacific railways are using, burned clay
successfully on such portions Of these
roads where better nfzJerial may not
be had. 1t is not so good as stone or
gravel, but is the next best medium.
Road overssers may make note of
this, and it wound be well to expert
ment Herewith In aE~that portion of
1 the prairie region where ciay and coal
are cheap and stone scarce.
1t may be prepared for about 80 cents
per cubic yard, and the success this
metaling has met for many years in
Great Britain places it entirely beyond
experiment. Burned, it is entirely free
from any tendency to become sticky
and pasty under travel, and upon the
recurrence of dry weather the surface of
L tho road said - 81.
The manner of preparing clay for use is
described in the RGiir0ad Gazette as fol-
lows:
! To prepare the ballast, the soil is
stripped for length of 800 to 1000 feet
Whatever length of tram for loading
is desired and fire started with
kindling. On this a mixture of slack
and pea coal is sprinkled, then a thin
layer of clay two to three inches thick,
then another good sprinkling of coal,
then more clay, and so on indefinitely,
in the proportion of about one ton of
coal to eight cubic yards of ballast
When fully burned the pile is about
eight feet high and twenty to thirty feet
wide, and from four to five months are
consumed in burning it, small gang of
men being on hand constantly to feed
the pile. One gang will ordinarily burn
from $4,000 to $4,000 cubic yards at
once, and its cost at the cars in the pits
is about 80 cents per cubic yard. After
| the first rain the ballast is not dusty
and it does not crumble.
FEEDING FOR BEEF OR SHOW.
Many persons, even those who are ac-
| customed to the show-rinp. suppose